1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label for a liquid-filled bag, as well as to a method for fastening such a label to a corresponding bag. In particular, the present invention relates to a label for a bag such as an infusion or transfusion bag, for example, wherein the label may be fixed as securely as possible to the bag, to ensure that safe hanging of the labeled bag is made possible.
2. The Prior Art
For the administration of special medications and pharmaceutical products, it may be necessary that an active substance is prepared in a liquid volume, for example a saline solution. This solution may then be administered to a patient by means of infusion. For this purpose, the ready-to-use solution must be filled into a container. For administration, this container is then hung in the proximity of the patient and the liquid passes through a tube with an infusion needle into the bloodstream of the patient.
Glass bottles and plastic bags are normally used as containers for such a pharmaceutical solution. For glass bottles, however, the danger then exists that they may be easily destroyed by mechanical stress. The risk of coming into contact with the prepared solution then exists for the treating person, which represents a great danger, for example, in the case of cytostatics. Moreover, the glass splinters of a broken glass bottle also represent a considerable risk of injury because of their sharp edges.
Therefore, plastic bags are being increasingly adopted for preparation of infusion solutions. In contrast to glass, however, the danger exists in plastic bags that certain chemical substances will be able to diffuse through the bag and so the pharmaceutical solution would become contaminated. This danger exists especially when a label is glued onto the bag for identification of a bag and then certain readily volatile components of the adhesive on the label diffuse through the bag. This phenomenon is known as adhesive migration.
Furthermore, the problem arises precisely for relatively small bags of identifying them to an adequate degree, since smaller bags necessarily also have a relatively small surface on which a label could be applied. On the other hand, a relatively elaborate and large area is necessary for identification of the medication with all required warning notices and documentation elements.
Further, due to the gluing of a label onto the usually transparent bag, the contents of the bag are concealed by the label. Thus contaminants that may be present or even abnormal discolorations of the contents may no longer be visually perceived and discovered.
For the reasons mentioned above, gluing a conventional label onto a bag is therefore associated with disadvantages and risks. On the other hand, the identification of an infusion bag may not be omitted. To the contrary, it is imperative in critical situations that a treating person be made familiar with the contents of the presented infusion bag in the shortest time possible and be able to check the contents carefully before the administration.